Frazer Clarke has vowed to fight on and to continue to rebuild his career under the guidance of Joe Gallagher.
The heavyweight suffered his second defeat in succession and third in the space of four fights when on Saturday, on the undercard of Tyson Fury-Arslanbek Makhmudov at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he lost via majority decision to Australia’s Justis Huni.
He regardless demonstrated considerable improvement in his first fight under his new trainer – the disappointing performance in the defeat by Jeamie Tshikeva led to his split from Angel Fernandez – in addition to punch resistance that suggested that observations that his career is in terminal decline may yet prove premature.
At a leaner 259lbs – 10lbs lighter than he was five months earlier for his fellow Englishman Tshikeva – Clarke’s conditioning also appeared improved, and though he recognises his options will be limited in comparison to if had he recorded his finest victory, he is optimistic that at 34 he can still succeed.
Clarke battled to a punishing draw with the WBO champion Fabio Wardley before being stopped by Wardley inside a round and requiring surgery on his jaw and cheekbone, and then enduring the bruising defeat by Tshikeva, he told BoxingScene: “My missus said ‘I’m just so happy we’ve not had to take you to the hospital this time’. Previously, after the last few fights, they’ve been real wars; I’ve been in the hospital afterwards. We can take some plusses from that.
“As much as he’s very fast and puts his shots together very well, he’s definitely not one of the bigger punchers in the division. But his skills will definitely set him in good stead as he moves through the division.
“It’s a difficult one, because I’ve seen and heard heaps of praise but it’s my second defeat in a row, which burns really bad. Saying that, the one thing I did wanna do, was to go in there and give a true reflection of the fighter I am and can be. There’s times where I did that.
“I’ve gone from losing at British level to a competitive fight at world level. He’s probably breaking into that bunch, slowly, but it’s a massive step up in class and an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. Even coming out of the fight, I could have done a little bit more to win – I was playing it a little bit safe, thinking about him too much, because he’s the best operator I’ve been in with.
“I felt good. I felt good for a while around that weight; I felt healthier. That’s not just in boxing, that’s in life. Everything had become a little bit easy. Me and Joe had a laugh about it. ‘You can get into your old clothes now.’ [Heavyweights] always feel good. But now I look back at the way I was training; the way I was recovering; when you get back to a better weight you recover better; you drink a lot more water; you’re able to eat a lot more good food. I was eating more than before my last fight, but better food, so you feel energised.”
The 27-year-old Huni was also, in Josh Arnold, fighting for the first time under a new trainer. He had suffered his only defeat in his previous fight – by Wardley, via knockout.
“He was proud of the effort, but he’s disappointed,” Clarke said of Gallagher’s assessment of their first fight together. “He had the same feeling. Joe’s a winner, just like me. I could see it was burning him. As much as everyone else was giving me a pat on the back saying ‘You done fantastic’, me and Joe are a bit gutted on a missed opportunity. I really had it in me to go through the gears a little bit more and maybe get him out of there.
“If I’d come out of there and not performed, and not felt like I could still improve, I’d have to ask a few questions. Not that I wouldn’t be fighting, [but] it might have been a discussion about what level I’d be fighting. Coming off that, I’m sitting here in good health, and I’m really open, and hoping the phone goes – and been assured by a few different people it will – there’s still some massive domestic fights. If Justis Huni’s a world-level fighter, I wouldn’t mind having a bash at a few other lads at world level, and I really do fancy myself to beat them. More time with Joe; more time nurturing what I do, I fancy myself in the mix with most of them.
“He’s been great for me. You can see the changes in a short time. It’s a natural progression with Joe and working hard in Moss Side.”
